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The Blurb On The Back:
”The turnkey slid back the bolts and flung open the door. He looked me up and down, taking in the mean cut of my borrowed clothes and the low slump of my shoulders.
He snorted, and shook his head at Jakes. ‘A week if he’s lucky,’ he said, then laughed nastily and pushed me through the door.
‘Welcome to the Marshalsea, sir.’”
London, 1727 - Tom Hawkins is about to fall from his heaven of card games, brothels and coffee-houses to the hell of a debtors’ prison.
The Marshalsea is a savage world of its own, with simple rules: those with family or friends who can lend them a little money may survive in relative comfort. Those with none will starve in squalor and disease.
Tom finds the recent grisly murder of a debtor, Captain Roberts, has brought further terror to the gaol. And while the Captain’s beautiful widow cries for justice, the finger of suspicion points only one way: to the sly, enigmatic figure of Samuel Fleet.
Some call Fleet a devil, a man to avoid at all costs.
But Tom Hawkins is sharing his cell.
Soon, Tom’s choice is clear: get to the truth of the murder – or be the next to die.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Antonia Hodgson’s debut historical crime novel (the first in a series) is a well researched book that unfortunately doesn’t really deliver on the originality of its premise. The main problem is that Tom thinks he’s more worldly than he is but actually has no sense of self-preservation at all, falls for obvious ploys and doesn’t even begin the investigation (which he knows is the only thing that can save him) until a third of the way through the book. Even then, Tom’s heavily reliant on Samuel Fleet (a sophisticated and genuinely slippery character who I wished has been at the heart of this novel). The female characters are underdeveloped (restricted mainly to Mrs Roberts, a femme fatale working to her own agenda, and obligatory love interest Kitty) and a key twist is telegraphed far too early on. This is a shame because Hodgson has clearly done her research on the prison and the period, integrating real people into her story to give it an authentic feel – I particularly liked the selected bibliography of source materials at the back – and if you’re looking for a decent beach novel for the summer, this may be worth packing. Ultimately, although there’s enough here for me to want to check out Hodgson’s other work, I’d be hesitant about continuing with this series because I didn’t take to Tom and am not sure I care enough to discover more about him.
THE DEVIL IN THE MARSHALSEA was released in the United Kingdom on 27th March 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
He snorted, and shook his head at Jakes. ‘A week if he’s lucky,’ he said, then laughed nastily and pushed me through the door.
‘Welcome to the Marshalsea, sir.’”
London, 1727 - Tom Hawkins is about to fall from his heaven of card games, brothels and coffee-houses to the hell of a debtors’ prison.
The Marshalsea is a savage world of its own, with simple rules: those with family or friends who can lend them a little money may survive in relative comfort. Those with none will starve in squalor and disease.
Tom finds the recent grisly murder of a debtor, Captain Roberts, has brought further terror to the gaol. And while the Captain’s beautiful widow cries for justice, the finger of suspicion points only one way: to the sly, enigmatic figure of Samuel Fleet.
Some call Fleet a devil, a man to avoid at all costs.
But Tom Hawkins is sharing his cell.
Soon, Tom’s choice is clear: get to the truth of the murder – or be the next to die.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Antonia Hodgson’s debut historical crime novel (the first in a series) is a well researched book that unfortunately doesn’t really deliver on the originality of its premise. The main problem is that Tom thinks he’s more worldly than he is but actually has no sense of self-preservation at all, falls for obvious ploys and doesn’t even begin the investigation (which he knows is the only thing that can save him) until a third of the way through the book. Even then, Tom’s heavily reliant on Samuel Fleet (a sophisticated and genuinely slippery character who I wished has been at the heart of this novel). The female characters are underdeveloped (restricted mainly to Mrs Roberts, a femme fatale working to her own agenda, and obligatory love interest Kitty) and a key twist is telegraphed far too early on. This is a shame because Hodgson has clearly done her research on the prison and the period, integrating real people into her story to give it an authentic feel – I particularly liked the selected bibliography of source materials at the back – and if you’re looking for a decent beach novel for the summer, this may be worth packing. Ultimately, although there’s enough here for me to want to check out Hodgson’s other work, I’d be hesitant about continuing with this series because I didn’t take to Tom and am not sure I care enough to discover more about him.
THE DEVIL IN THE MARSHALSEA was released in the United Kingdom on 27th March 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
